In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems have been deployed onboard aircraft to provide entertainment for passengers in a passenger cabin. The in-flight entertainment systems typically provide passengers with video and audio programming. Some in-flight entertainment systems include an electronic communications network having a head-end server and seat-end electronics boxes that are coupled with video display units located at passenger seats. The video display units display content that is distributed to the seat-end electronics boxes from the head-end server over the communications network. Controllers facilitate a user's control of the content displayed on the video display units. The controllers typically include remote controls for personal use by passengers at their seats in the aircraft.
User interfaces to existing IFE systems may include a touch screen on a dedicated seat display monitor or video display unit disposed at the passenger seat, such as in the seat back in front of the passenger seat. The user interfaces may also include a fixed or tethered remote control unit at a passenger seat that is within reach of the passenger. Remote control units typically include fixed mechanical buttons which provide a variety of functions similar to a typical commercial television remote control. Users manipulate the buttons of the remote control units to produce desired responses at their respective video display units.
The process of using the remote control unit to control the display of the respective video display unit requires users to repetitively shift their focus and attention between the remote control unit and the video display unit, which can be inconvenient and problematic. This shifting of focus may slow the users' interactions with the video display unit and may cause some users discomfort. In addition, the tight command-response relationship between manipulation of a button on the remote control and responsive action displayed on the video display unit typically limits users to performing one activity at a time using the remote control unit. For example, users may only be able to interact with one step of an application process or one change to program content on the video display unit at a time using the remote control, even if the video display unit provides a windowed or overlaid display of more than one content item at a time. In addition, a graphical user interface (GUI), which is overlaid on video content displayed on the video display unit, can block a substantial portion of the video display unit's displayable surface, thus interfering with the passenger's viewing experience.
In a typical configuration, a remote control unit installed at a passenger seat has a fixed set of mechanical buttons or other physical controls, and cannot be expanded or modified without an expensive and time-consuming hardware replacement. Therefore, a user of the remote control is only able to control the display of content on the video display unit using a fixed method allowed by the mechanical buttons and other physical controls included on the remote control unit in conjunction with fixed programming for prompts, etc., provided via the video display unit. For example, a fixed remote control unit may include the following physical controls:                Buttons for audio and video controls for video display unit;        Buttons for navigating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of video display unit;        Buttons for game control functions associated with video display unit;        Buttons for IFE system services;        Buttons for an alpha-numeric keyboard (e.g., QWERTY keyboard); and        Buttons for remote control of reading light and calling flight attendant        
The inflexibility of current remote control units severely limits the ability of an IFE system to accommodate passenger and airline needs. For example, an alpha-numeric keyboard cannot be customized for the different languages of its passengers without great expense.